THE BASEMENT BOOK SHELF: “The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass: A Portfolio (20th Anniversary Edition) by Rick Goldschmidt
If you were like me growing up, you would look forward to every December. Not only for the Christmas holiday but also for the many Christmas specials that would be on each week leading up until the big day. Among my favorites were the specials produced by Rankin/Bass. If you are not familiar with that name, they produced specials like RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN and THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS. This book, “The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass: A Portfolio” is an amazing history of this company, doing things that I was not even aware they were involved in.
Rankin/Bass historian Rick Goldschmidt is more than up to the task of bringing this company back to the fore front of entertainment. Their animation style is so amazing and to this day, so many decades later, it still holds up just as well as it did when it originally came out. These shows are timeless and are passed down from generation to generation so that children and parents can enjoy them year after year.
20 years has passed since this books’ original release and many things have happened and been added to the book. The original edition sold out of several printings, with this being the best version! Lots of rare material has been added and lots of color. After the release of the first edition, it ignited many products to be inspired by the Rankin/Bass classics. This is the first book on steroids. It has been a wonderful feeling to keep making the book better with each release. Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass Produced some of the most beloved TV Specials and films of all-time and this book covers all of them. If you love their films, this book is for you!
One of the things that amazes me most about this book is the amount of pictures in it! It truly is a portfolio of this production company. Most are in color and so many bring back such wonderful memories. My initial thought when receiving this book was that it was going to show the making of pictures as well as behind the scenes pictures. Though there aren’t as many as I had hoped, the sheer volume of pictures more than makes up for it and Goldschmidt has released other volumes such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Making of the Rankin/Bass Holiday Classic” and “The Making of Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” It is these books that really show how it was done.
For over thirty years Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass created some of the most memorable television ever created. They have produced thirty-five holiday animated television specials as well as sixteen animated TV series and six animated feature films. From the beginning until when the animated specials and films were made, they never faltered in quality or storytelling, which is why they are so timeless. This release is the perfect history book of this company and it will leave you wanting more, as in Rick Goldschmidt’s other book releases.
The quality of this hardcover book is excellent. It’s a huge book clocking in at 412 pages and is the perfect coffee table book for the Christmas season. The pages are heavy weight and glossy, really showcasing the photographs within and I guarantee it is a book that you will open up time and time again. If you would like to order any of Rick’s books, just click on the images below. You will not be disappointed!
Don’t forget to read the other blogs in my BASEMENT BOOK SHELF REVIEW series.
COMING SOON: My celebrity interview with author Rick Goldschmidt!
~David Albaugh
Wow this book looks amazing. A bit pricy but looks like a keepsake worth a purchasing. Nice piece.